Due to advances in technologies used for wireless communications, such as those associated with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) conforming to Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols, wireless communications devices may feature multiple transmit and receive chains to provide increased bandwidth and achieve greater throughput. For example, the 802.11ad standard includes the capability for devices to communicate in the 60 GHz frequency band over four, 2.16 GHz-wide channels, delivering data rates of up to 7 Gbps. Other standards may also involve the use of multiple channels operating in other frequency bands, such as the 5 GHz band.
As will be appreciated, in order to provide multiple chains, a number of elements may be required by each chain. For example, each chain may require on-chip and off-chip components such as an antenna, an external power amplifier, a transmit-receive switch, a matching network, a low noise amplifier and/or other related circuitry, resulting in significant cost, area, complexity and power demands. Conventional implementations may provide symmetric transmit and receive capabilities, such as by providing all chains with the capability of transmitting and receiving. Accordingly, such devices typically exhibit performance associated with having equal numbers of transmit and receive chains.
However, there may be applications for which an intended use of a wireless communications device makes it desirable to provide one or more performance characteristics associated with employing asymmetric numbers of transmit and receive chains. It may also be desirable to reduce hardware complexity and cost while providing a level of performance associated with an intended use of the device. As will be detailed in the materials below and the accompanying drawings, this disclosure satisfies these and other goals.